Where does “nonesuch” come from?
nonesuch (English) comes from English none, from Middle English none, from Old English nōn, from Latin nōna, from Latin nōnus, from Latin novenos, from Latin novem, from Latin novo — new; to nod, assent to.
nonesuch (English): A person or thing with no equal; Silene...
Definitions
- A person or thing with no equal; Silene...
Ancestry of “nonesuch”, step by step
nonesuch traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English none
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | none | Not any of a given number or group; Not any; no;... |
| 2 | Middle English | none | Alternative form of nonne; Alternative form of... |
| 3 | Old English | nōn | noon; the ninth hour; the ninth hour |
| 4 | Latin | nōna | nones canonical hour |
| 5 | Latin | nōnus | ninth |
| 6 | Latin | novenos | accusative masculine plural of novēnus |
| 7 | Latin | novem | nine; 9; first-person singular present active... |
| 8 | Latin | novo | I make new, renew, refresh; I alter, change;... |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | nowāō | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | néweh₂ti | to renew |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | néwos | new |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | new- | new; to nod, assent to |
via English Such
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Such | Like this, that, these, those; used to make a comparison with something implied by context |
| 2 | Middle English | such | — |
| 3 | Old English | swelċ | such; like that, that kind of |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | swalīkaz | such, that kind of, that sort of |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | swa | so, thus, in this manner |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | swē | like, similar to; just like, in the same manner... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | swē | self (reflexive pronoun) |